Have you ever found your Bible reading to be a little dull or lifeless? Is it hard to see the people of the Bible as real individuals who encountered God?
There’s a practice that can help with this, and it’s called imaginative prayer.
Now, every time I think about explaining imaginative prayer to others, I can’t help but think about my conversation with Eva Kubasiak on her podcast, Bible Study Made Simple.
When I was talking with her, I shared with her this idea about imaginative prayer. With her permission, I want to share part of that conversation with you.
I not only explain what imaginative prayer is, but I also walk us through an example so you can see what it might look like in real life.
Before we dive into that conversation, I just want to share that Eva has a lot of Bible study videos on her YouTube channel. She is a great resource to learn more about Bible reading plans, Bible study tips, Bible study tools, spiritual habits, quiet time routines, and more. Plus, she has Bible study journals available. You should really take the time to get to know her. She is fantastic!
Okay, let’s dive in and see what this imaginative prayer thing is all about…
[Excerpt from Eva’s podcast]
Dive Deeper into Imaginative Prayer
So that was part of my episode with Eva from her podcast, Bible Study Made Simple.
If this sparked something within you and you want to learn more about imaginative prayer, I’d love for you to grab the recording from a recent group journal coaching call I led. We use imaginative prayer to read through two different Bible stories, and I also offer guided journal prompts during our time together. You can grab that at lovedoesthat.org/store.
Journal Prompt: What excites you about this spiritual practice? What worries you?
What excites you about this spiritual practice of imaginative prayer? What worries you? Take some time to write those things down in your journal. If there’s something you’re concerned about, talk to God about it. See what He has to say about when and how to practice something like this.
Also, if and when you try imaginative prayer, I encourage you to keep your journal close by so you can jot some notes down. What stands out to you? What does God want you to know? Record it so you can keep talking about it with Him.
Prayer
God, You have given us imaginations. Please help us to use them for good, not for bad. We don’t want to play the “what if” game or let our imaginations lead us down a road of worry or fear. Instead, we want to use them for Your glory and to draw closer to You. Please help us to do that. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.
RELATED LINKS + EPISODES:
- Group Journal Coaching Call recording
- Eva Kubasiak’s YouTube channel
- Episode 32 Bible Study Made Simple podcast: Imaginative Prayer with Kari Bartkus
- Episode 64: Approaching God Even In Your Anxiety with Your Bible Study Best Friend Eva Kubasiak
- Bonus Episode 2: [Guided Scripture Reading] When Someone Fights For You
- Bonus Episode 4: [Guided Scripture Reading] The Courage to Ask to Be Healed
- Bonus Episode 10: [Guided Scripture Reading] When You Don’t Get Picked
- Bonus Episode 11: [Imaginative Prayer] Jesus, Have Mercy
Coming close to your grief and entering into it can be scary. Overwhelming, even.
Journal Gently is an 8-week program designed to help you bring your hurt to God on the pages of your journal in a gentle and graceful way, whether your hurt includes grief, trauma, anxiety, depression, chronic illness, loneliness, and more.
